Try
by katierosefun
Summary: Ahsoka gets slightly injured when she tries to lure away danger. Rex is there to help her pick up the pieces. [Subtle Rexoka]


All jungle planets, Rex decided, were terrible. They were always hot and humid and dark whether the planet be full of purple or green or dark blue forests. Nothing ever seemed to be easy in these kinds of places—there were always bugs humming around the helmet, nonstop rain at the oddest hours, mud seeping up to mid-calf, and darkness. Always darkness except for the rare beam of sunlight or moonlight in what Rex figured were either the earliest of the morning or the middle of the night.

And if it hadn't been for the fact that the majority of his men were already grumbling, Rex would have started expressing his own frustration, too. The additional fact that he had banged his head against a low tree branch three times didn't exactly aid his own annoyance, either.

"Hanging in there?"

Rex looked over at Ahsoka. A part of him had been tempted to look down, but the commander had shot up over the last year or so, and now Rex could actually look at her in the eyes without tilting his head down. Like everyone else, Ahsoka looked tired, but she still smiled up at Rex with genuine energy.

"Trying my best," Rex replied.

"Aren't we always?" Ahsoka cast a backwards glance at the rest of the small squad of troopers and turned back around. "We'll be meeting General Skywalker just a few more cliks from here, so we won't be wandering around for much longer."

"That's a relief," Rex muttered, and he hadn't thought he'd been too loud, but Ahsoka's laugh told him otherwise.

"Trust me, I'm looking forward to stopping just as much as you are," she said. "By the way, duck."

Rex only just lowered his head in time to narrowly miss another branch. Instead, he heard some poor trooper behind him smack into the branch instead. As the trooper groaned, Rex turned to Ahsoka and asked, "How can you see? We've got night vision, but you…"

"It's the Force," Ahsoka said, but after a dramatic pause, she said, "I've just got good eyesight."

Now it was Rex's turn to laugh, and he was almost ready to think that this jungle planet might not be too terrible, after all, when there was a low growl that vibrated through the trees. He stopped just in time with Ahsoka, who lifted her head up at the jungle canopy with narrowed eyes.

"What was that?" Rex heard someone ask.

"I don't know," Ahsoka murmured. She turned to Rex. "It could just be an animal."

"Didn't sound too friendly," Rex commented.

"No," Ahsoka agreed, and she lifted her head again just as another growl sounded—this time, much closer than the first. Her hands drifted over to her hips, where her light sabers were. "Rex, stay close."

"Copy that, Commander," Rex said, reaching for his blasters.

There was some rustling from the branches above them, but no growl. Still, Rex tightened his grip on the blasters. He caught a glimpse of the rest of his men behind him, all of them with their weapons cocked and at the ready. Rex suddenly became aware of the sweat dripping down the side of his neck, even though it was probably concealed by his suit and armor. Looking over at Ahsoka again, Rex wondered if Jedi could hear someone's heart pounding right next to them—and Rex hoped not.

There was more rustling, and Ahsoka narrowed her eyes up at the branches. Rex saw her bend her knees slightly, getting ready to jump.

"I think I see the creature," Ahsoka whispered, her eyes still narrowed up at the branches. "It's waiting us out."

Rex turned his gaze up to the branches. And slowly, through the green glow of the night vision lens, he made out a large, multi-legged creature just hovering over one of the branches. Its eyes seemed to glow a brilliant yellow color, and Rex doubted that had anything to do with the night vision lens.

"What do we do?" Rex whispered.

"Move," Ahsoka whispered back. "Very slowly."

Rex turned around to his men and jerked his head forward. Slowly but surely, each of them walked forward, hands still tight over weapons and eyes still trained on the jungle canopy. Rex swallowed, watching the creature slowly make its way from one end of the branch onto another. It was following them.

"It's following us," Rex murmured.

"I know," Ahsoka murmured back. "I want to say it's friendly, but I'm getting the sense that it's not."

"What sense _are _you getting from it?" Rex asked, just barely flicking his eyes back over at Ahsoka.

Ahsoka's lips were set in a grim line. "Hungry. And curious. Probably not a good combination." She looked back over at Rex. "I don't think it's going to leave us alone until it has what it wants."

"So we shoot it down," Rex said.

Ahsoka shook her head. "Too much noise. If there are any Seppies nearby, I don't want to alert them. You go ahead—I'll stay back and try to lure it away."

Rex frowned, even though he knew Ahsoka couldn't see him through the helmet. "With all due respect, Commander, I don't think splitting up now is a good idea."

"I'll be right behind you," Ahsoka replied, unhooking her light sabers from her hips. She nodded to the path ahead of them. "Just keep walking. If you guys get to General Skywalker before me, then just tell him I got a little behind." She gave Rex a crooked smile, the kind that Rex knew she must have had to pick up from the general. And also the kind that the general usually wore before doing something that usually got him a scolding from General Kenobi. "See you in a minute, Rex."

"Good luck, Commander," Rex said, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in his chest as Ahsoka darted into the bushes. He turned to the rest of his men, who were waiting expectantly behind him. "You all heard the Commander," he said. "She's buying us some time, so let's make the most of it."

* * *

"Took you guys long enough," Anakin said, pushing himself up to his feet. He was wearing a wide grin, but it quickly faded as his eyes flicked over Rex and the rest of his troopers—or, more so, the absence of a particular commander. "Where's Ahsoka?"

"There was something following us," Rex replied. "She distracted it so we could get to the rest of the forces on time."

Anakin's face hardened. "What _thing_?" he asked, and just as those words left his mouth, the cracking of a tree branch sounded from behind Rex.

Rex whirled around to see Ahsoka tumble down a tree. For a moment, he thought that Ahsoka had been just jumping down, but then he saw her flailing limbs and too late, he remembered that the Jedi never _flailed _when they were falling. He only just started to run forward as Ahsoka crashed into the ground.

"Ahsoka!" Rex heard Anakin cry from behind her, and then both Rex and Anakin were standing over Ahsoka's limp form.

She looked like she had been dragged through tree branches and the dirt. There were cuts along her arms and an ugly-looking scrape on her chin, along with a single gash split open on her knee. Looking down at her, Rex felt ice flood into his veins. He shouldn't have let her go off to distract that beast to begin with.

But when Rex settled down next to her, Ahsoka's eyes flickered open.

"Oh," she only said, her voice small as she registered Rex and Anakin around her. "Made it."

"What _happened_?" Anakin demanded.

Ahsoka winced, sitting up. "Some stupid cat thing. It had sharper claws than I thought it did. And also a strong grip." She frowned. "So maybe not a cat? Because cats can't grab people…" She shook her head, and perhaps a little too hard, because she winced again. "I thought I had it under control. Got it away from Rex and everyone else, though." She brought a hand up to her chin, but before she could touch the scrape, Rex quickly pushed aside her hand.

"Careful," he said when Ahsoka looked up at him questioningly. "That'll sting."

Ahsoka grimaced. "Already does." She pressed her hands to the ground and only pushed herself up halfway before both Rex and Anakin were slinging her arms over their own shoulders. "Come on, you guys," she said, disgruntled, "I can get up on my own."

"Sure you can," Anakin said, looking down at Ahsoka. "But not until we get you cleaned up first."

Ahsoka sighed loudly. "I've gotten into worse accidents than this," she protested, but Rex noticed the small limp in her step even as he helped her walk over to the medic tent. His chest tightened, and when he looked over at Ahsoka, all the strength had seeped out of her face.

As though sensing this, too, Anakin said in a somewhat gentler tone, "Come on, Snips. Let's get you patched up."

* * *

"I'm fine, Master."

"You could have gotten more seriously hurt. You were lucky."

"I was, but you're overreacting. Again. I had everything under control!"

"You fell out of a _tree_."

"But I got here, didn't I?"

"What if you landed somewhere else? What if you couldn't get back up? What if—"

"I'm _fine_."

There was a loud sigh. Anakin.

Then, "Just…try not to re-open those bandages. We've got a long day ahead tomorrow, and I don't need you out of commission because you got your injuries infected."

"You got it, Master."

Rex stepped out of the way just in time for Anakin to walk out of the tent. For a moment, Rex wondered if the general was going to give him some kind of scolding, too—in fact, Rex would have expected it—but Anakin only gave Rex a wary nod before walking over to talk to some other troopers.

With that, Rex ducked into the medical tent.

Ahsoka was sitting up on a cot, her head tilted up slightly towards the roof of the tent. When Rex came in, she quickly looked back down and smiled, albeit a tired one. "Hey, Rex," she said. "Everything alright?"

Rex took off his helmet and nestling it under his arm, he replied, "I was actually here to ask you the same."

Ahsoka looked down at her bandages. "What, these?" She laughed. "Minor. I'll be healed up in a day or two."

"I wanted to apologize," Rex said.

Ahsoka's eye-markings furrowed together. "Apologize? For—oh…" She stared up at Rex, her eyes narrowed. "Don't tell me you're going to try to apologize for letting me go off on my own, are you?"

"I should have gone with you as back-up," Rex argued, and he hated that he sounded like he was arguing, but the humorous look that Ahsoka was giving him wasn't exactly helping matters. "The general was right. There could have been worse casualties."

"I appreciate the concern, Rex," Ahsoka replied quietly. "Really. I do." She lifted her arms. "But look—that was my choice. My decision. I knew what I was getting myself into, just like you knew what you were getting into before taking any big risk." Her face softened. "It's my duty just as much as it is yours or Master Skywalker's to take some risks sometimes. And sometimes things happen." She gestured down at her bandaged leg. "But we can't expect anything different."

When Rex didn't say anything, Ahsoka gave him a small smile. "Here," she said, scooting over on the cot. She patted the space next to it and said, "If you're going to keep looking guilty like that, at least sit down, too."

* * *

Rex wasn't sure how or when he nodded off, but he woke up to the sound of Ahsoka's soft swearing beside him.

It was dark in the tent, and at first, Rex's eyes had to adjust to the sudden change in light. "Commander?" he whispered.

"What—oh, hey, Rex," came Ahsoka's voice. It was pulled taut—too taut.

"Everything alright?" Rex asked.

"Um—" Ahsoka cut herself off as Rex fumbled and flicked on the small light by his helmet. Ahsoka wasn't on the cot anymore; she was sitting on the ground, bandages in hand.

"What are you doing?" Rex asked incredulously, swinging himself off the cot. He knelt down next to Ahsoka and stared down at her knee. It had split open again, and with no bandage to cover it to boot.

"I was trying to change it myself," Ahsoka replied. "Um—forgot that my knee doesn't want to cooperate whenever I try to move."

"You could have called for someone," Rex said, taking the bandage out of Ahsoka's hand. Shining the light down on her knee, he gently wrapped it around the wound.

"Didn't want to be a bother," Ahsoka replied.

Rex lifted his head. Ahsoka's eyes were tired—more tired than Rex had ever seen them. But when realizing Rex was looking at her, Ahsoka forced on a smile again. And Rex, Jedi or not, knew a fake smile when he saw one. "Permission to speak freely, Commander?" he asked.

"Permission granted, I guess," Ahsoka replied, staring down at the bandage.

"Are you trying to prove something to everyone here?" Rex asked. A year ago, he couldn't have imagined ever asking anyone this—but he had known Ahsoka for a little while now. Remembered the look she wore as she walked off the ship on Christophsis. That bright, eager smile and the sky-blue eyes that seemed to take in everything it came in contact with. He saw a little less of that smile now, and those eyes had dulled just a bit, but the same scrappy energy was still there. Maybe a little less scrappy, but still—something reckless. Something relentless.

Ahsoka didn't respond for some time.

And then, quietly, "We're all just trying our best here, Rex." Her voice was weary.

"With all due respect, Commander," Rex said, and he was relieved that Ahsoka lifted her eyes to meet his. Under the light of his helmet, her eyes seemed just a bit brighter for a moment. Rex handed Ahsoka the rest of the bandages. "Trying your best doesn't mean you have to throw yourself into danger alone."

Ahsoka laughed quietly. "Are you talking about the animal or trying to fix up my knee?"

A corner of Rex's lips twitched. "Both."

"Well," Ahsoka said, rolling the bandages around her hands. She was smiling a little, too. "Let's see if I can try that."

* * *

**A/N: **_A little late, but written for whumptober prompt #6: dragged away. I just imagined Ahsoka being dragged away into something dangerous, and Rex being there to help her pick up the pieces because I guess I kind of missed Rexoka? _

_As always, reviews/constructive criticism are always appreciated!_


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